# humidor reassurance, please....



## burritosdaily (Jul 2, 2007)

Guys,

Need some reassurance here.... I bought a new humidor yesterday and wiped it down well with PG solution and added gel/crystals. I let it set 24hrs then wiped it down again.... a few hours later I loaded it.

There were several reasons for this... my old humi had dried up and I knew I was acquiring a box of cigars today. My hygrometer will arrive on Wednesday.

So, am I okay with the new box of cigars in the box after a good wipe down and 24hrs of crystals/gels?

Thanks!


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

I'm not a fan of the wipe down. I personally prefer to use the Boveda 84% seasoning packs and let the humidor sit for 2 weeks seasoning properly at a slow pace. It SUCKS to wait, but there's no real risk of warping or problems. While it's seasoning you can keep your smokes in some tupperware with the crystals to regulate the humidity.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

You would be better off getting some sort of tupperware to put your cigars in. If your cigars are anywhere near the right RH, they will stay that way for awhile in an air tight container.

You run the risk of over/under humidifying your cigars without properly seasoning your humidor. 

There is a quite good thread on how to properly season a humidor in the sticky thread of this forum.


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## FridayGt (Oct 24, 2010)

burritosdaily said:


> Guys,
> 
> Need some reassurance here.... I bought a new humidor yesterday and wiped it down well with PG solution and added gel/crystals. I let it set 24hrs then wiped it down again.... a few hours later I loaded it.
> 
> ...


To be honest, I PERSONALLY, wouldn't trust it. It may be fine for you, but I wouldn't go there myself. When it comes to just about anything with cigars, the answer always seems to be time. If it's rushed, it probably isn't right. I would suggest hitting up a local B&M for some boveda packas and tossing those in some tupperware or large ziploc until you can season a humi correctly with a calibrated hygromiter.

On a side note, the wiping down with PG solution would have me concerned as well, but I have no reason for this, just hesitance to use anything other than distilled water.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

FridayGt said:


> On a side note, the wiping down with PG solution would have me concerned as well, but I have no reason for this, just hesitance to use anything other than distilled water.


I too, cringed when I read that. I am no expert on wood or PG or cigar storage for that matter but to me it would seem that the PG would clog the pore of the wood somewhat and reduce the buffer effect. Just my thoughts, and hopefully, some one who knows better will chime in.


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

I have no problem with the wipe down method. People all speak of warping but what is there to warp?If your drawers warp from the application of some water, you bought a real POS IMO. What bugs me is that you didn't wait to see what the RH ended up at nor did you get a meter yet to see which way the RH is going. It should take 3-5 days to get the humidity to settle somewhere and stabilize. Adding sticks into the humi while this is still happening is not only complicating things but putting your cigars at risk of huge sways in humidity.


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## MontyTheMooch (May 27, 2012)

I just finished seasoning a brand new "200 stick" humidor.









I started it with 6 84% Boveda Packets and left it (mostly) closed for 2 weeks. Once the two weeks were up I installed my CigarOasisXL under the shelf and started loading.









It's been going for a week (post-seasoning) now and I've loaded even more sticks into it and it's holding nice and steady.

LOVE the Boveda Packets. There's still some life left in them so I moved them to the two small (now empty) humidors to re-season them as they were no longer holding very well.


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## jphank (Apr 29, 2012)

Fuzzy said:


> I too, cringed when I read that. I am no expert on wood or PG or cigar storage for that matter but to me it would seem that the PG would clog the pore of the wood somewhat and reduce the buffer effect. Just my thoughts, and hopefully, some one who knows better will chime in.


I cringed, too. If you do any kind of wipe down it should be with distilled water. The PG solution can clog the wood and actually provide a drying effect that can't be overcome.

It's far better to take your time, use a sponge on a plate, let the wood start to moisten naturally at its own pace than brute force a new humidor.

You can simply put a humi-pack in with the cigars in the box while letting your humidor season and while you go buy a hygrometer.


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## French1 (May 27, 2012)

I was in the same situation about 7 months ago when we came back from a trip with a couple nice boxes of cigars. I got a new humidor as an early birthday present and wanted to use it now! In discussion with a local shop they got me set up with the Boveda humidor seasoning packets and told me to put a humi-pack into the largest tupperware I have and not put anything in the humidor for 3 - 4 weeks. I followed the advice and it worked out great - my humidor holds very well and steadily.

I would suggest removing the cigars and placing them in a tupperware while the humidor seasons.


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## abhoe (Feb 29, 2012)

If you rush seasoning your humidor you're going to have a bad time.


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## yellowv (Dec 24, 2011)

Your sticks are better off in a ziplock bag. Get a hygrometer and properly season the humidor before using it. As far as a wipedown with PG solution I have never heard of anyone doing that. Doesn't sound like a good idea. Really the only thing PG solution is good for is adding to that crystal gel crap and there are far better ways to mantain humidity than that stuff.


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## smokin3000gt (Apr 25, 2012)

Well since you already did all that the only thing left to do it put a digital HM in there for a day or two and see if it fluctuates or maintains RH.


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

smokin3000gt said:


> Well since you already did all that the only thing left to do it put a digital HM in there for a day or two and see if it fluctuates or maintains RH.


I would remove the cigars and store them elsewhere. I would then rewipe the wood down with distilled water. It may raise the humidity but you can always leave the lid. Open. I would then get a hygrometer and check it daily until your humidor stabilized.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

To be honest I cannot give you, the OP, any reassurance as you have gone about this completely the wrong way. The main reason? Wiping it down with PG solution. I can tell you for a fact that you do not want your cigars touching PG solution & if you have infused the cedar with it then I have no honest means of saying how to cure that situation. Good luck.


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

You can always lightly sand the wood to expose a fresh layer. I have done this to reactivate the cedar scent. In my oxidized humidor.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

pittjitsu said:


> You can always lightly sand the wood to expose a fresh layer. I have done this to reactivate the cedar scent. In my oxidized humidor.


Yes it may "reactivate" the scent but cedar is very good at wicking liquids away from the surface, hence why it is a good buffer material. Do you think sanding lightly would remove the glycol from the cedar? Maybe in a passive seasoning scenario that would be the case but if the cedar has been wiped down with it (allowing the glycol to soak in) I think sanding is not going to do the trick.


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## burritosdaily (Jul 2, 2007)

Holy Cow.... Well, not feeling so good about things. Wiping with the PG was the instructions given to me by the local B&M guy. 

After watching some youtube videos and reading posts here... I emptied the box (they spent less than 24hrs in) and put the sticks in a tupperware with a crystals caddy. It doesn't seem to have a great seal but it seems pretty common around here to use those...

I wiped the box well with distilled water and put a small cup of water in the box... as well as a gel caddy and closed it up. 

hope it all turns out okay.... I would really hate to loose the brand new box of fav cigars I just bought (that are now residing in the rubbermade/tupperware). It was also my first box.


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

burritosdaily said:


> Holy Cow.... Well, not feeling so good about things. Wiping with the PG was the instructions given to me by the local B&M guy.
> 
> After watching some youtube videos and reading posts here... I emptied the box (they spent less than 24hrs in) and put the sticks in a tupperware with a crystals caddy. It doesn't seem to have a great seal but it seems pretty common around here to use those...
> 
> ...


We all make mistakes. My very first box purchases where 3 boxes of Opus x. Big $. When they got here I discovered that they did not fit in any of my humidors. Dumb dumb dumber


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## FridayGt (Oct 24, 2010)

Yeah, try not to worry about it man, it happens. Hopefully things work out for you though!

Just remember, time is your friend with anything to do with cigars. Seasoning the humi, resting after shipping, aging in general...


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I haven't read this entire thread, for the simple reason that I suspect that further reading would just make me cry...


If you, or anyone else, ever wipes down their humidor with PG solution, what you've made is not a vessel for cigar storage, but rather, kindling.

This is a tactic, purported by cigar shop counter jockeys, which not only does NOT work, but RUINS anything that could otherwise be used as a humidor.

I created an entire thread, which became a Sticky, on just how to perform the seasoning process. There are certainly acceptable variations on the theme, but PG is NOT one of them.

Chuck the would-have-been humidor and chalk it up to a lesson learned the hard way. It's done. There's no saving it.


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## zephead61 (Apr 18, 2012)

The Herf has spoken......................................and I agree! Firewood.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

And here I was sugar coating it. :lol::doh: Hey Don..... :thumb:


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

Herf N Turf said:


> I haven't read this entire thread, for the simple reason that I suspect that further reading would just make me cry...
> 
> If you, or anyone else, ever wipes down their humidor with PG solution, what you've made is not a vessel for cigar storage, but rather, kindling.
> 
> ...


Well, I respectfully disagree. The guy didn't coat the thing in Polyurethane or Anthrax, he used PG solution once. I see no reason why sanding it and re-coating in distilled water wont work. If you do, explain to me why it wont work please.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

pittjitsu said:


> Well, I respectfully disagree. The guy didn't coat the thing in Polyurethane or Anthrax, he used PG solution once. I see no reason why sanding it and re-coating in distilled water wont work. If you do, explain to me why it wont work please.


Happily. Actually, Warren already made the point that Spanish cedar is very porous and as such, has wicked the stuff deep into the grain. For this reason, sanding will accomplish virtually nothing.

Polypropylene Glycol is toxic and even more so if burned and inhaled. I wouldn't chance it and I'm pretty liberal about ingesting mild toxins.

All this wiping is making me queasy.


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## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

Oh, well then, it's trash..... that'd bother me to use that knowing it's toxic. Trash trash trash.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I really hate that these unwashed register jockeys hold this as dogma. Trust me, if I had a nickle for every time I've read this same story on here, I'd have a box of Opus Forbidden X. I feel horrible for the OP and, if it were me, I would contact the owner of the shop and throw that jackass straight under the bus and ask that they sell me a humidor at their cost.


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## burritosdaily (Jul 2, 2007)

Herf N Turf said:


> I really hate that these unwashed register jockeys hold this as dogma. Trust me, if I had a nickle for every time I've read this same story on here, I'd have a box of Opus Forbidden X. I feel horrible for the OP and, if it were me, I would contact the owner of the shop and throw that jackass straight under the bus and ask that they sell me a humidor at their cost.


unfortunately it was the owner that gave me the instructions.... I have to say that I am pretty frustrated about the whole situation.


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## Coasty (Mar 1, 2012)

If the shop owner doesn't help you out let me know with a PM. I have 2 - 100 count new in the box, a 100, 300 and a 400 count that are well seasoned. Be happy to make you a trade.


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## Stinky (Mar 27, 2006)

Coasty said:


> If the shop owner doesn't help you out let me know with a PM. I have 2 - 100 count new in the box, a 100, 300 and a 400 count that are well seasoned. Be happy to make you a trade.


Wow! That's a mighty generous offer!

Here's my opinion as an old woodworker:
Open the humidor in a very dry climate and let it sit open for a month to allow most of the Propylene Glycol evaporate/dissipate out of the wood. Then, sand all the interior surfaces with a fine (100 grit) sandpaper.

Furthermore:
I've reconditioned & seasoned dozens of humidors over the years. It can be done overnight. I use distilled water in a fine-mist spray bottle. Spray all interior surfaces really well (no ponding) then close the lid for an hour. If you over spray with the distilled water, just damp it up with a clean cloth. Put a digital hydrometer inside on a plastic lid or something other than the wood. The gauge should not set on the wet wood. Repeat. . . check gauge. Repeat one more time if necessary and install the humidification element (or beads or gel or Propylene Glycol) let stand (closed) overnight. You're ready in one day. Invest in a good digital gauge (not a cheappie). Your humidor should hold around 70% within a day or two. Leave it alone, it will work. Don't look inside every couple hours. Humidification systems will work. And, any humidor worth having won't warp with the application of a little mist (coating) of surface water. Spanish cedar will absorb just fine. Don't get all superstitious and annal about it. . . it's just a wooden box. . . and, it's all very forgiving.


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## Stinky (Mar 27, 2006)

One more comment. 
Go after the shop owner with a vengeance. If what you said is true . . . he owes you a new humidor! Please show me where it says to use Propylene Glycol to season a humidor! Most new humidors come with an instruction booklet that have step-by-step instructions. If you need some help with a (possible) negative response. Please call me!


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

RG for Stinky! That's solid advice and a viable method of seasoning, if slightly less precise than mine. My favorite B&M does this. Then again, they are seasoning about a dozen humidors a week. Well done, Sir.

While I'm unsure and still a little dubious of the "evaporation opportunity", I cannot comment, because I've never given it a month. The reason I'm suspicious is that I've seen PG "evaporate" and it doesn't disappear. It leaves a slimy, plasticy sort of goo behind. My assumption would be, based on this, that the same residue will be left behind in the wood and thereby eventually transported to the cigar. Again, I'm not positive of this. Just my observations and subsequent hypothesis.


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## burritosdaily (Jul 2, 2007)

Coasty said:


> If the shop owner doesn't help you out let me know with a PM. I have 2 - 100 count new in the box, a 100, 300 and a 400 count that are well seasoned. Be happy to make you a trade.


I greatly appreciate your generosity! This confirms my hypothesis that fellow stogie lovers are the most generous people out there.... Although, I don't have anything that would make the trade worth your time yet...... but I am trying to work on that 



Stinky said:


> Wow! That's a mighty generous offer!
> 
> Here's my opinion as an old woodworker:
> Open the humidor in a very dry climate and let it sit open for a month to allow most of the Propylene Glycol evaporate/dissipate out of the wood. Then, sand all the interior surfaces with a fine (100 grit) sandpaper.
> ...


I'm going to try this as it seems to be my best option amidst a bad situation. I would assume if I can get it to recondition, hold humidity, and not have any sort of film on the cedar then I can salvage.... given that the PG is a diluted solution and I didn't use much, etc.... it might be false hope but I'm hoping I can fix this....


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